OUGD601 - Project Rationale

Subject
Typography & Advertising

Question
Is Typography more powerful than Image in Advertising?

Chapter Plan
Chapter 1 - Typography: The Basics and History
Origins of Type & initial uses
Gutenberg & the Gutenberg Press
Type Classification
Hierarchy - weighting, style, colour etc.

Chapter 2 - Typography and Advertising
Initial use of type in advertising
Typography use today in advertising
Sans serif vs Hand drawn type
Packard's 'eight hidden needs' of advertising
Tone of voice & the message

Chapter 3 - Case Study: McDonalds
Progression of advert designs
Comparison of 3/4 through the time
Tone of voice - masking of a large corporation
Move to hand drawn type - why & how
Packard's hidden needs

Things to consider
Examples to use & when
Sans serif vs hand drawn type - choosing one sans serif to focus on
Main text for each of the chapters to refer to
Imagery to collect

Initial Sources

Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. (2011 [2006]) ‘The Fundamentals of Typography’, 2nd Edition, Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA

Carter, R. and Day, B. and Meggs, P. (2012) ‘Typographic Design: Form and Communication’, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Garfield, S. (2011 [2010]) ‘Just My Type: A book about fonts’, 2nd Edition, London: Profile Books

Heller, S. and Ilic, M. (2012) ‘Stop, Think, Go, Do: How Typography & Graphic Design Influence Behaviour’, Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers

Hollis, R. (2011 [1994]) ‘Graphic Design, A Concise History’, London: Thames & Hudson

Jury, D. (2006) ‘What Is Typography?’, Switzerland: RotoVision SA

Lupton, E. (2010 [2004]) ‘Thinking With Type’, 2nd Edition, New York: Princeton Architectural Press

Perry, M. (2007) ‘Hand Job: A Catalog of Type’, New York: Princeton Architectural Press

Vignelli, M (2010) ‘The Vignelli Canon’, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishing

Practical Direction
To create one advertisement for McDonalds & variating the typography on a number of versions depending on what has been found in the essay.

OUGD601 - Possible Case Study Research

Case study 1
Fast Food - Burger King Vs. McDonalds

Burger King:

McDonalds:

The main point that I want to look at in this case study would be how McDonalds has changed its approach to advertisements recently, whereas Burger King are consistent in their use of image and type. Obviously they are both fast food companies, and the main way up to now in gaining customers is showing images of the food. However I think the way that McDonalds is recreating its image by changing the advertisements to include clever and personalised typography is definitely something to explore.

Case study 2
How the context can be changed by the typography - Amnesty International Vs. Tv Shows

The main point of this case study would be to look at the way text can change the context of an advertisement. With the way tv shows are advertised these days, it mirrors the way in which brands such as Amnesty International promote their services. This plays on the idea that the image can be in any context, for a meaningful cause or for something for entertainment purposes.

OUGD601 - Potential case studies

The first thing that I needed to do was decide on a case study. I think that the areas of typography and typography in advertising are quite factual and for me to get an idea of what I want to focus on throughout this project, I need to find a case study which interested me and related to the question.

First thoughts:
After the presentation feedback I thought about the idea of how typography is used in advertising for food, in particular Burger King against McDonalds, or something along those lines.

Another area I am interested in is how the type depicts the actual focus of the advertisement. There are so many advertisements out there now which use images which could easily mean something else if the type was changed, so this is something that definitely relates to what I want to speak about in the essay.

The third idea is to focus on purely typographical advertisements and how powerful those are as they have no imagery.


At this point I think all of them are quite even and I will have to do visual research to get an idea of what route I want to go down. I do feel more confident with the idea now that I've narrowed it down, and I think it could make for a really interesting project.

OUGD601 - Direction

Following the presentation I started to decide exactly what it was that I wanted to speak about and create work around.

I started by taking my initial question, and the array of sub questions that I had under this.

Initial question:

Does typography influence a viewers initial assumption when looking at an advertisement?

Sub-questions:

- Does the layout of typography affect the views assumption?

- Can type be more powerful than an image in advertisement?

- What is powerful typographical advertising?

- What style of typography sells more?

- Can typography affect sales of a product?

- Do trends/social matters affect the typography used in advertisements?

- Is typography a major part of advertisement or is it overlooked?

- How is typography used in advertisements?

From this I thought about what exactly it was that I was interested in and what subject I would enjoy. I decided that the question I was going to go with is:

Can type be more powerful than image in advertisement?

I feel like going to this gives me a bit more of a focus, and there are clear areas to look into at this point: Typography, and Typography in Advertising, as well as a third areas being a case study.

I think that this is definitely something which I can talk about the basics behind typography and how they are used to create a tone of voice in an advert, and also how typography is used in conjunction with image.

Areas to explore:

Typography

• Fonts & weights
• Tone of voice
• Readability - choice of typeface/leading/tracking/kerning/alignment

Typography in advertising

• History
• Trends
• Hierarchy
• Recognition & association
• Correct message - images don’t do this on their own

Typography & Image

• Case Study

OUGD601 - Presentation Feedback

The presentation went ok. My general theme and idea was well received, however it was commented on that I should focus down more and find an idea within the question which I want to explore and work from there. A case study is definitely something I should consider as well to tie it all together.

It was said that really my theme is typography, not consumerism, as I can do the whole project around typography and advertising without talking about the theory behind the consumer. I think that this is definitely a valid point and something I can move forward with.

While the idea of primary research is good, it was commented on that maybe it's more effort than it's worth. How much would I really get out of it? And how many responses would I need to get for it to be reliable and worth it?

One piece of feedback was that I could focus more on the type itself instead of it's place in advertising, looking into the tone of voice specifically, and how small changes in type alter the immediate response to the piece of work.

Overall the general feeling I get from the feedback was that there are elements that need to be changed or focussed in on, but the overall question and theme are good. I need to go away and work out exactly what I want to talk about and create a practical piece around.

OUGD601 - Cop3 Presentation

OUGD601 - CoP3 - Methodologies & Critical Analysis

Methods - How the information you have found is...

• Sourced
• Collected
• Collated
• Presented

A logical predefined strategy in how you collect your information/research. Defining a strategy.

What you are research and why you are researching it.

You need to clearly evidence why you selected these methods of gathering information and selecting evidence and why they are the most appropriate for your study

This will make you appear to be in control and aware of what you are doing.

Methodology

A set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline, as in the arts or sciences.

Why are you choosing that particular tactic/method?

Picking a particular side and why you picked that side

Theories

These can help you decide upon the methods you use.

Alternatively the material you find may suggest the appropriate theories.

A coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena

Examples of theories:

Psychological theory - S.Freud, C Jung,  J. Lacan

Communication theory

Social history/Marxist

Postcolonial

Feminist

Different theories will ale you to different results - each particular theory will have its own answers

What theories and methods do I need to use?

Practical studio practice could be the research. Must treat it like secondary research - document it completely

Choose the theories and methods most appropriate to your subject

1. Make decisions about how to collect and order information
2. Choose a relevant theoretical stand point
3. Apply these to your study
4. Explicitly outline this in the introduction. Address suggested failings in the conclusion.

Critical Analysis

Critical analysis is not to be confused with criticism - weighing up different sides of an argument and evaluating material based on evidence/research selection

Reasoned thinking - stepping away and using evidence and logic to come to your conclusions

Awareness of perspectives

Where was the author/artist/designer/photographer situated?

Whatever sources/methods you use - be guarded

Try to consider different points of view

Look into the time/society/prejudice when design was produced in that particular moment in time - popular attitude shift.

Where am I coming from?

How is my choice of topic influenced by my emotions; aspirations; context?

Context is everything - always consider the context

Consider the influence of one or more of the following:

• The time
• The place
• Society
• Politics
• Economics
• Technology
• Philosophy
• Scientific thought

Evidence

What is the evidence for what you are saying? Supporting research, experiments, observation

Position should be based on research that has led to the point where you can believe it

Could you find more evidence to support your conclusions?

Evidence

Reason

Logic

Argument

Argument

What do I want to say?

Have I got the evidence to back it up?

What else do I need to look in order to find more evidence?

Triangulation

Pitting alternative theories against the same body of data

Am I expressing myself clearly and logically?

Don't just do theory A against theory B - there should be a third theory which will ultimately take one side to support that argument in the essay

A clear logical plan

Keep it simple - refine what you want to say and focus on key issues

Look into your key issues in depth and bring in the maximum evidence to support your views

Discuss your issues and the evidence you have found in a clear and logical manner

Move from the general to the specific